Aidan, the little fire
by Holly Isaura
Summary: Why does Merlin seem to attract so much trouble? He finds a new friend, but will he be too much for Merlin to handle? First published fanfic!


No copyright infringement intended. Merlin is owned by the BBC

Merlin stood, head tilted up to the sky, and eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of the sun on his skin. Ordinarily, he was so busy he never had time to just slow down and enjoy himself. Today, however, Arthur had given him the afternoon off, since he would be in council meetings for the rest of the day. Merlin's delight of having some actual free time to do what he wished lasted about the time it took to walk from Arthur's chambers back to Gaius's. Once Gaius had learned that Arthur wouldn't need him for the rest of the day, Gaius had mentioned how it would be so helpful if Merlin could go out and find some herbs he was running low on.

"I only need a few things; it won't take up your whole afternoon." He had said. When that hadn't worked, he'd threatened him with cleaning the leech tank. So, now here he was in the forest collecting feverfew and yarrow. Actually, he didn't really mind spending his time collecting herbs. It got him out of the castle, and gave him some time to be alone. Camelot was an extraordinary place, but being locked up with so many people for too long could drive him a little mad. Besides, Gaius hadn't said that it _couldn't_ take him the entire afternoon, after all. There was no rush for him to get back to the castle.

But, he didn't want to be out here after dark either. Reluctantly, Merlin checked to see what he still needed to find. He had found feverfew, violet, and yarrow fairly easily, because Gaius seemed to be constantly running low and he knew the good places where they grew. However, this time he had to find mullein, a tall plant with fuzzy round white flowers that resembled a cotton plant. It was just his luck that it only grew deep in the forest.

He headed further into the woods, pushing through underbrush and pausing to search in likely looking places. It was as Merlin was attempting to push through some bushes that he heard it. The sound was like nothing that Merlin had ever heard, a beautiful, haunting call that sent chills up his back just listening to it. He began to follow the sound. Branches tugged at his clothes, and he ran into more than one spider web, but he pushed on regardless. When the song grew so loud he was sure he was very close to it, the noise stopped abruptly. Merlin stood still, listening hard, but he could no longer hear it. Suddenly, he smelled smoke.

_Fire_. If there was a wild fire now, it could mean big trouble for Camelot. Only yesterday there had been news that a neighboring kingdom had lost a large portion of their harvest to a fire, as well as a number of homes. Arthur had offered to send supplies, if necessary, as many wouldn't have been able to survive the winter. But if their own crops were destroyed, there wouldn't be enough for themselves, let alone anyone else.

Instinctively, Merlin began to run towards the smoke, all thoughts of the mysterious sound he heard driven from his head. If he was lucky, he might be able to put the fire out before it got out of control. It didn't take him too long to find the source of the smoke. In a clearing, the dry grass made good tinder for the fire to grow hot on. It had already reached the fringes of the clearing, the trees there up in flames. It would soon spread throughout the whole forest. There was nothing else to do. Merlin checked around him, worried that someone would have come when they saw the smoke, as he had, but could see nobody. He looked up to the sky again, now stained gray by the smoke, and said _Ic I rigne_. Immediately, dark clouds began to form, swirling around the clearing and blocking out the sun in moments. He could feel the heat from the fire, searing his face and body. Then Merlin realized that the fire was almost at his feet at this point and hastily retreated farther away into the forest.

The rain began to fall a few moments later, at first only a few drops that hissed as they fell into the fire, and then faster, heavy drops that found their way down the collar of Merlin's jacket. Shivering, he ruefully wished that he could start a fire, as he had been soaked in seconds. He retreated under a tree, where it offered a little protection from the rainstorm he had created. It didn't take long for the fire to be put out, hissing as it went. As soon as he was sure that it had gone completely out, he called it off, and soon only a few drops fell from the trees.

Merlin however, was still soaked to the skin. The breeze, that had before been cool and welcome on a warm day, now bit into him, causing him to shudder. He had to get back to Camelot. It wasn't until he took a few steps that he realized that he wasn't sure which way Camelot was. He stopped again. From chasing after that noise he heard, and then running towards the fire, he had gotten all turned around out here. _Just my luck. I try and save Camelot again, and now I'm soaked. I suppose it's my fault though. And I never did find what made that noise. __**And **__Gaius will probably be upset that I didn't find the mullein_. Looking around, he saw the broken bush that he had pushed through to get to the clearing. _I guess it's that way_. He sighed. _Well at least I put out that fire._ But that last thought failed to cheer him up, as another gust of wind reminded him how cold he was. "You know, maybe I just shouldn't be given afternoons off," he said aloud to the empty forest.

Or, almost empty. Merlin nearly jumped out of his skin when something behind him made a sound like a strangled toad. He turned quickly, but saw nothing. The sound came again, a little louder this time, and Merlin looked down. There, in the hollow of a burnt up tree, was a baby bird. Surprised, he bent down and looked closely at it. It looked pitiful covered in soot and sodden from the rain, and Merlin couldn't help but feel sorry for it. As far as birds go, it wasn't very attractive, and Merlin assumed that its feathers had been singed by the fire. It couldn't have been more than a couple weeks old, going by its size.

"Well, hello there, little one. You look about as wretched as I feel." The bird chirped loudly again and snapped its beak back at him. "Don't be mad, I'm sure I look even worse than you do." It eyed him suspiciously. "I don't suppose your parents are around anymore, what with the fire and all. This was probably your nest tree too." He straightened and looked up into the branches. The trunk had been burnt black, and the only leaves that remained were a few at the very top that had managed to escape the fire. The bird chirped again, more subdued this time. The wind blew harder, and the few leaves at the top of the tree fell. It also reminded Merlin just how cold he was.

He was about to turn to find his way home when the bird chirped again. It gave him such a sad look, Merlin couldn't find it in his heart to just walk away. It was far too young to last more than a few hours on its own, if it didn't get eaten sooner. Merlin was torn. He couldn't just leave him here; it would be dead by the end of the day. "Well I can't just to take you with me, you know, I have work to do. Besides, I could get in trouble!" It continued to stare, unnerving him with its fixedness. "And what would Gaius say? He won't want a bird in his chambers, think of the mess!" The fledgling began to chirp loudly, almost like it was saying _"Take me with you! Take me with you!"_

Merlin sighed again. He took off his neckerchief, squeezed out as much water as he could from it, then picked up the bird and placed it inside. He picked it up, and held it awkwardly in the crook of his arm. As he reached for his bag, he heard twigs snapping a little way off. He didn't want to be caught here by someone, and have to explain how a very convenient rainstorm had started out of nowhere and put out a wild fire. So, he dove behind a bush that still had most of its leaves as quickly as he could manage. The footsteps grew louder, as Merlin tried to hide himself as best he could. He managed to settle a few moments before a cloaked figure emerged from the trees.

The figure stopped when it reached the burnt clearing. After a moment's pause, they removed removed their hood. Merlin eyes widened. What was Morgana doing this close to Camelot? What was she up to now? She began to walk around the clearing, eyes searching. What was she looking for?

He held his breath as Morgana came near his hiding place, and walked right by it. "Where is it?" he heard her hiss under her breath. "It has to be here, I heard it!" Merlin frowned. Was it the same thing he heard? Whatever it was, she didn't seem to be able to find it. He looked down at the bird in his arms. The last thing he needed right now was to have it decide to sing. But it didn't look like there was a chance of that. It was huddled against him, its head buried underneath a fold of the neckerchief.

When Morgana moved on, he exhaled as slowly as he could. She paced around the clearing, growing more and more impatient. He could hear her muttering as she walked, and made out "Stupid bird!" His eyes widened, and he glanced down at the fledgling in his arms, confused. Did she mean this one? Why was she after a bird?

In any case, he had to get out of here. He looked up at the clouds that still covered they sky and breathed "_Ic ben regnscuras_." Lightning and thunder suddenly split the sky, quickly followed by rain that fell even harder than before, almost blinding him. While Morgana was preoccupied with getting her hood up, Merlin slipped away. He didn't stop running until he was well away from the clearing, and was certain Morgana hadn't noticed him. The rain would clear away any tracks he left.

Slowing to a walk, he checked on the fledgling. It, at least had stayed dry, tucked inside his jacket. Merlin on the other hand, didn't think he had ever been wetter. His thin jacket gave some reprieve from the storm, but the rain easily found its way down his collar without his neckerchief. The storm was so bad now; he knew he had to find shelter. He quickly found a rock that jutted out from the cliff face, creating a very small cave. It wasn't much, but it would have to do. He took out the baby bird, and together they watched the lightning and the rain come down.

First chapter is done! The rest will be up as soon as possible

_Ic I rigne _means something along the lines of "I make the rain come down"

_Ic ben regnscuras_ basically means "I make a powerful rainstorm"


End file.
